Remember
by tierner2
Summary: The Bolt Gun Killer is still at large, but Nathan has something else on his mind; memories from his past.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

"Mr. Smith are you okay?" she asked as his grip tightened and his breathing labored.

"Mr. Smith!" She screamed as he fell to the floor.

How could this be happening? He was fine this morning, but now? She screamed for help as he lay dying in her arms.

"Help me please! Someone!" But it was too late. His last breath left his chest as her tears fell upon his face.

She lost him.

She felt a change in her body like a surge of energy.

"Ma'am, what happened?" a man asked as he helped steady her.

"He's gone." She said in a weak voice.

Something had changed inside her and even she didn't know the trouble that had begun.


	2. Chapter 1: The Past

**The Past**

Nathan's head lifted as he heard her door open and the sound of her boots told him she was leaving her office.

_About time_, he thought to himself. All day Audrey had been shut in her office catching up on backlogged paperwork. Now was his chance. He quickly grabbed the file headed toward Audrey's office. She had asked for the file two days ago and had been pestering Nathan about it whenever she had a spare moment. He would have been happy to have given it to her the day she asked, except she wasn't giving him an opportunity. She was always there and Nathan wasn't taking any chances. What if she forgot and her hand grazed his as she grabbed the file? No, if he was going to pretend he was distant, he had better avoid her touch.

He set the file down on her desk and read the name with sadness and disgust. Jessica Matthews. She was only 19. Circular wound at the base of the skull and her eyes surgically removed. No fingerprints, no evidence linking anyone to the crime. The Bolt Gun Killer was a ghost.

Nathan turned to leave, but something caught his eye. He slowly turned back to Audrey's desk and picked up a necklace. Nathan moved his thumb over the inscribed L.R. on the back slowly as the present melted away and his past came flooding back.

"_Sterling silver, intricate scroll face with a blue, princess cut diamond in the middle. And of course the engraving on the back."_

_Nathan's thumb rubbed against the engraving as a smile spread across his face. She saw it in the window and every time they walked past, her eyes would light up. "Lucy Ripley. She's gonna love it. How much do I owe you Steve?"_

"_Nathan, you saved my life. You're a hero. It's my treat for you."_

"_I was just doing my job Steve." Nathan said, shaking his head. _

"_Now Nathan, don't sell yourself short." Steve said with a grin. "You know they even have a nickname for you."_

"_Yeah," Nathan said dismayed, "The Colorado Kid. Let's hope it doesn't stick."_

"Nathan, Nathan!" Audrey yelled as she shook him back to reality. "Nathan, are you okay?" Audrey asked with concern evident on her face.

"Fin- Fine. I'm good." Nathan stumbled as he put the necklace on her desk and hurried out of the room.

* * *

Audrey looked on with confusion as Nathan scurried out of the room. He was his normal self this morning. _Well, normal for lately_, Audrey thought with a sigh. Some days she wished she could reverse the clock and take back her words that pushed him away. She missed having someone she could talk to about anything without any worry. Sure, she had Duke and Claire, but it just wasn't the same. She missed Nathan.

"Okay, something is seriously wrong with your partner." a familiar voice stated.

"What did he do, Duke? Is he okay?" Audrey asked. Her voice drenched with concern.

"He ran into me and said 'Sorry.' Nathan Wuornos was nice to me." Duke smirked.

Audrey attempted a laugh as she sat down at her desk. "What do you want Duke?"

"Can't a guy just come by and check in on his friend?" Duke said with mock worry.

Audrey glanced at Duke with doubt in her eyes.

"Okay, I knew that you have been waiting for the Bolt Gun Killer file and I wanted to help you on the case."

Audrey looked at Duke with a smile building on her lips. It was nice having people who care about her, even if they couldn't do a thing.

"I appreciate it Duke, but I think I've got it covered. Plus, I just got the file myself." She said as she eyed the folder.

She was terrified to open it. How many more innocent people will die? How did the killer know about the Colorado Kid?

"Oh come on Audrey. We could have another _sleepover_." Duke said with a sly smile. "You could invite your therapist - have a party?"

Audrey rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah I think we're done."

"Oh come on! Just a little fun!" Duke insisted as Audrey pushed him out the door.

"Goodbye Duke." Audrey called waving him out of the station.

* * *

Nathan hurried into his office and quickly shut the door. What had just happened? He sat down at his desk trying to make sense of what occurred only moments before. He knew none of it was possible, yet everything seemed so real. He remembered the smell of the store and the sun hitting his eyes as he exited.

He needed to push these thoughts out. They just couldn't be true. Nathan closed his eyes and pressed his hands into them. But this had the opposite effect he had expected. The blackness faded and forgotten images sprung to view in its place.

_Lucy was sitting on her porch with Nathan beside to her._

"_I got something for you." Nathan said with a smile._

"_Really, and what's that?" Lucy questioned._

_Nathan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box._

_Lucy's eyes lit up as he fingers traced the delicately carved flower on top. "It's beautiful."_

"_Glad you like it Luc. Now will you open it and see your actual present?" _

_Lucy chuckled as she slowly opened the box. A small gasp left her mouth as she picked up the necklace and turned it slowly in her hands._

"_Nathan, I—"_

"_Happy birthday Luc." Nathan interrupted with a smile. _

The sound of the phone snapped Nathan out of his thoughts. He shook his head in an effort to dislodge the memories to no avail.

"Wuornos." He barked.

"Chief, we have a body at the Thornton's. Figured it would be best handled by you."

"Who's the victim Stan?" Nathan asked.

"Craig Thornton. Looks like natural causes but the family wants—rather—demands a formal investigation." Stan said with contemp.

"Okay Stan, give us twenty minutes." Nathan sighed.

He hung up the phone and took a deep breath to steady himself. It didn't matter if those memories were real or not, he had a job to do. He grabbed his jacket and walked in to the bullpen just in time to see Audrey turning back to her office.

"Parker." He called making her whip around. "Stan called. He's got a case on the hill. Wanna go?'

"Yeah, let me grab my stuff." Audrey said as she rushed into her office.

Nathan prayed he wouldn't be haunted by another memory while he was with Audrey. She was already so preoccupied by her past and the Bolt Gun Killer, adding his memories to her pile would be too much.

Audrey came out of her office as she slipped into her coat. "So what's the case?" she asked as they headed to the Bronco.

"Local man, Craig Thornton, 62, found dead in his study."

"Does it look like a trouble?" Audrey asked.

"No. Natural causes." Nathan said opening her door.

"If it's not a trouble, or a homicide, then why are we going out?" Audrey asked as Nathan started the truck.

"Thornton and his family are basically Haven royalty." Nathan said. "They contribute big-time to the community so when Mrs. Thornton asks for the chief of police, she gets him." Nathan said, rolling his eyes.

There was a slight pause before Audrey quietly asked, "Nathan, are you okay?"

"Fine," Nathan said hoping she would leave it at that.

But of course this was Audrey, and just leaving it at that wasn't her. "Nathan, you practically ran out of my office and then locked yourself in yours. Clearly something is wrong."

"Fine, Parker. Just remembered something about an old case." He lied.

He knew she didn't believe him but since she pushed him away, she tried not to delve into his life.

_The chief would be happy_, Nathan thought. He could still have feelings for Audrey without her wanting to take risks for him. The perfect compromise.

The rest of the drive was silent as they drove further away from town.

They were immediately surrounded when they arrived at the Thornton's home. Nathan knew he had to get the place settled down before it became total chaos.

"Stan, get everyone that isn't on the force or family off of the property."

"Chief I would like some answers." A woman said as Nathan pushed through the crowd. She was well dressed and obviously made of money.

"Mrs. Thornton, I just got here. Give me a few minutes to check everything out and I will talk to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, please stay with this officer." Nathan said.

Nathan looked around for Audrey, but only saw a giant crowd.

"Parker!" He pushed though the crowd to find Audrey pinned against the truck trying to get to the scene.

"If you are not a cop or a Thornton, I want you off of this property before I charge you with obstruction of justice." Nathan ordered as he guided Audrey past the tape with his hand gently on the small of her back.

"Thanks," Audrey said as Nathan lifted the tape and his hand dropped down to his side.

Nathan just nodded as they entered the house and looked at the scene.

"What do ya got Lucassi?" Nathan asked as he slid his hands in his back pockets.

"Seems like a cardiac arrest. Petechia and the wife's accounts support it. They only thing strange is a burn to the right arm, but that could be from anything. I'll know more after the autopsy." Lucassi stated matter-of-factly.

"No evidence of forced entry or foul play." Audrey said after walking around the room. "Wanna go talk to the wife?"

"Probably should." Nathan said "It will at least get her off our backs."

Nathan and Audrey left the room and made their way to Mrs. Thornton in the living room. Nathan couldn't help but watch Audrey and find the similarities to Lucy. He didn't even know if these memories were his or, for that matter, even real. Audrey caught his gaze as he quickly turned to Mrs. Thornton.

"Did you find anything, Chief?" she asked.

"We are still investigating, but it would help if you could give us your account." Nathan said.

"There's not much to give. Craig had been his normal self the night before." She said with tears building in her eyes.

"He was coughing a little but he seemed fine. He was a little weak this morning and then he just collapsed. I…I didn't know what to do."

"Our M.E. is going to take your husband to the station and try to get some answers for you." Nathan said consolingly. "As soon as we find anything, we will let you know."

"Thanks Chief." She said wiping at her tears.

Nathan and Audrey made their way to the truck, both lost in their own thoughts. Audrey quickly grabbed her phone as it rang and read the text with a quick look at the time.

"Need to be somewhere?" Nathan asked.

"Claire just wants to try and find out a little more about the Colorado Kid." Audrey said nonchalantly.

Nathan stopped in his tracks. _What if she remembered him? How much did she already know? _

"How much have you found so far?" he asked trying to hide his anxiety.

Audrey took a deep breath and then said, "We found out his name."

Nathan was afraid to ask, but he had to know. "What's that?"

"James Cohen." Audrey said as she hopped into the truck.

Nathan didn't understand. He remembered being called the Colorado Kid; remembered it being him. Yet Audrey thought it was someone else? Nathan no longer doubted his memories. He knew that they were real. And now, he was going to prove it.


	3. Chapter 2: The Journal

**The Journal**

_Nathan couldn't believe what she was saying. After everything they had been through together, she didn't want him._

"_Please, Nathan, I'm sorry but it just won't work." she said as the tears fell onto her face. _

"_Why? What did I do wrong?" he asked with a weak voice. _

"_Nothing! Nathan this isn't your fault. Please understand."_

_She looked down at her left hand and slowly slipped off her ring. She gently grabbed Nathan's hand and heard his breath catch from her touch. She placed her ring in his hand and he knew it was over. He looked up at her with tears visible in his eyes and gently grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. _

"_It's only fair, isn't it?" he said as he slipped his ring off and placed it in her open hand._

"_Goodbye Sarah." He said as he let his hand drop back to his side, letting her go. _

_But rather than walking away, she softly kissed his cheek as he felt her tear stained face gently graze his. _

"_Please, Nathan. You have to remember." She whispered in his ear. "You have to remember. Remember…"_

"Remember Nathan?" Audrey asked as Nathan stared in a daze.

"Sorry, what?"

"Do you remember the name of the man who saw the fight? Tyler something?" She asked tapping her pen against the file.

"Yeah, um, Tyler Connors." Nathan said as he tried to come back to reality.

"Connors, right." Audrey said as she quietly filled in the paperwork.

"Did you finish the paperwork on Thornton?" Nathan asked in an attempt to distract himself from the memories.

"Yeah, I filed it this morning." Audrey said as she looked up to study his face.

"Nathan, are you okay?" Audrey asked with concerned. "Ever since the problem at the Thornton's a few days ago, you've been acting…different."

"I'm fine Parker." He lied.

Truth was his memories had been constantly filling his mind. He was remembering things not only from his time with Lucy, but also other times as well. He thought he had done a good job hiding this from everyone, but Audrey was always able to see right through him.

"Nathan…" Audrey started, obviously catching his lie.

"Parker, I'm good," he said convincingly.

Audrey picked up her necklace and started fiddling with it. She had a habit of doing this lately whenever she was thinking or distracted.

"Nathan, listen. I know—" Audrey began, but, much to Nathan's delight, was quickly interrupted.

"Officer Parker, we have a woman here asking if she can talk to you." Stan said in the doorway.

"Stan can it wait just a minute?" Audrey asked.

"She seemed pretty concerned." Stan said.

"Be right there." Audrey said with a sigh. "We're not done Nathan." She said as she gently placed the necklace down on her desk.

But Nathan barely heard a word as he saw the small sliver in the necklace that showed what it really was. As soon as Audrey left her office Nathan grabbed her necklace and placed his fingers on the top and bottom. It had been Lucy's favorite part of her present. The secret she kept against Haven, the town that hid everything from her. He gently pressed the nob at the top and revealed an opening. It wasn't just a necklace, but rather a locket.

Nathan grabbed the small piece of paper that was unceremoniously thrown into the locket and ignored the two aged photographs inside.

He quickly closed the locket and read his own name printed in Audrey's handwriting. He turned it over and read, "Find it. 44 N, 69 W."

Nathan didn't care about work as he left Audrey's office and grabbed his keys in record time. He was going to find answers.

* * *

"Just Mrs. Roberts again." Audrey said entering her office.

But when she looked around, she realized Nathan was gone. She quickly went to his office but couldn't find him.

"Stan, have you seen Nathan?" Audrey asked.

"Yeah, he left a couple minutes ago. He seemed pretty distracted." Stan said as he went back to work.

Audrey quickly walked to her office with her mind racing.

It wasn't like Nathan to leave the station without any notice.

Audrey sat down at her desk with a sigh. She finally had a chance to talk with Nathan and tell him everything. Now he was gone.

She picked up her necklace and slowly started turning it in her hands.

* * *

Nathan looked out the window of the Bronco at the old familiar porch he once sat on with Lucy. He closed his eyes remembering the familiar smell of lilacs she grew in the garden.

He had followed the coordinates she had given him to her old house.

He got out of the truck and made his way to the door. She could have wanted him to find a number of things, how could he know what to look for?

Nathan swallowed his fears as he knocked on the door.

An older woman, about 60, looked out at him with suspiciously.

"Hello Mrs. Matson." Nathan said charmingly. "I'm sorry to intrude, but we're doing a few checks around town for traces of asbestos. I was hoping I could make sure you're place was safe." He finished with a smile.

"The Chief of Police?" she said doubtfully. "Couldn't you get another officer to handle this?"

"Yeah I could, but they've already looked at about 100 houses around town and I figured I should give them a break. My job is to keep Haven safe, even if it's just from bad housing materials." He said with a chuckle.

She looked at him for a few seconds more, until a smile lit her face and she opened the door to let him in.

Nathan nodded in thanks as he stepped across the threshold and looked upon the house that held so many memories.

"Can I get you a cup of coffee Chief? Just made a fresh pot."

"Coffee would be great." Nathan said. This was the perfect opportunity to find answers. He started toward the bedroom as his right hand trailed along the wall.

He knew everything about this house. The floorboard that creaked just outside the bathroom, the light switch that turned on nothing, and Lucy's favorite spot.

Nathan stopped in his tracks and looked around for the raised and out of place panel that disguised the perfect hiding spot.

He ran over to the panel and listened as Mrs. Matson washed dishes in the kitchen.

He softly pushed in the sides of the panel, revealing a small hole, empty except for a battered notebook.

Nathan picked it up carefully and knew he found what she needed him to find.

Mrs. Matson's footsteps started to get closer as Nathan quickly placed the notebook in his jacket and covered up the hole.

"Find anything so far?" She asked as she handed him his coffee.

"Nothing to be worried about." Nathan said, knowing that he had finally found some answers.

* * *

Nathan drove home as quickly as he could as he kept eying the simple notebook sitting in the passenger seat. It didn't look like anything special, but Nathan knew her, and if she wanted him to find it, it was important.

Nathan locked the door behind him as he walked into his simple home and snapped the blinds shut.

He sat down and paused for a moment. His life had been turned upside down already and now all that he believed about himself could all change again.

Nathan took a deep breath. It didn't matter if it changed things. He was finally going to have his answers.

Nathan turned back the aging cover and read the first page.

_May 7, 1983_

_My first day in Haven certainly wasn't what I was expecting. As I was driving into town, my car broke down in the woods and I had to try and find some help. I looked for the closest Ranger's station, but before I could reach it, I heard a growl behind me. It was a wolf. A big, hungry wolf. He started coming after me, but lucky for me, a Ranger, Nathan Wheatley, shot him down. Instead of asking if I was okay however, he simple picked up the wolf and said, "Welcome to Haven," and started walking away. I thought he was just going to leave me there but he dropped the wolf and asked if I needed a ride. He may not have been the most charming guy, but there is something about him. Maybe I'll see him around town. _

Nathan just stared at the words on the page. He remembered everything about that day. He had saved her life, just like he had saved Audrey's.

He quickly started flipping through her journal as he yearned to discover more about himself.

Every page seemed to have his name, whether it was in relation to a case, or just a simple note about breakfast together.

The further he read, the more hurried her writing became. Loose papers started to fall out with notes from different times scribbled upon them. Notes from 1956, 1929, 1902. It was like opening a time capsule every 27 years, only to add upon it the same sad story and bury it until the next 27 years. Nathan saw pictures, some dating back to the mid-1800's, with him and another version of Audrey. He tried to find out more about himself, about his life, about everything. He turned to the last page. The page was worn and had marks from where it appeared tears had fallen. He read through it quickly, just wanting to know more.

He finished in disbelief, trying to grasp what Lucy had told him. He read the page one more time, slowly, and read her meaning into every word.

He knew that his past meant nothing. He needed to protect Audrey and he was going to make sure she was safe, no matter what.


	4. Chapter 3: The Case

**The Case**

_The soft breeze gently blew Sarah's hair across his face. Brushing her hair away, she gave him a sweet smile and slowly opened her eyes._

"_We should probably go back, Sarah. We wouldn't want a scandal." Nathan said as he moved his free hand to the small of her back. _

"_Oh, let there be a scandal." Sarah said moving closer to him._

_They were lying in the bed of his truck surrounded by a sea of blankets and pillows, their arms entwined, just lying together. _

"_Ms. Vernon, I have a reputation to uphold." Nathan said playfully with a smile on his lips._

"_Hey, you promised me we would sleep under the starts Mr. Williams." Sarah said as she gently laid her head down on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her._

"_Can we just stay like this forever?" She asked closing her eyes._

"_Forever." Nathan promised as he softly kissed the top of her head._

Nathan slowly opened his eyes as reality came crashing down on him. He was in his bedroom, trying to drown out the incessant sound of the alarm clock. Knowing this was a losing battle; he stopped the alarm and got out of bed.

He walked into the living room with a yawn as he grabbed the journal and a couple of files from the cabinet.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he opened an extremely thin file. He had been looking over Lucy's journal for the past three days, collecting information about Nathan Wheatley. Now he finally had some answers for Audrey.

Nathan closed his eyes and tried to bring back the scene he had just woken up from. His memories were coming back to him in a constant stream. He was use to the memories, and even looked forward to remembering his feelings from so many stories he had read. But the time for dreams was over. Today was the day he told Audrey the truth.

* * *

The bell softly chimed as Nathan opened the door to the familiar coffee shop. He walked around the crowded room listening to the chattering of familiar voices.

"Morning Chief."

"Morning Mrs. Matson. House still going good?" he asked kindly.

"Still free and clear," she said with a laugh.

Nathan continued on to the front of the shop with quick hellos to the regulars around him.

"Good morning, Nathan. What can I get you?" the young barista asked kindly.

"Two coffees, one black and one with two sugars, Julie," he said reading her nametag.

"Coming right up," she said with a smile.

Nathan looked at the barista and noticed two parallel burns on her left arm. "Your arm okay?" he asked with curiosity.

"Oh, just the pain that goes with working at a coffee shop," she said, nervously laughing it off.

The sharp, shrill ring of his phone took him away from the conversation.

"Wuornos," he answered.

"I got a case for you sugar," Laverne said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Nathan asked with interest.

"Young teacher down at the high school just went into cardiac arrest suddenly. Died right in front of the school."

Nathan sighed. "I'll pick up Parker and we'll be down in ten," and hung up the phone.

He quickly dialed Audrey's number as he heard his name being called at the counter.

"Nathan?" Audrey questioned, sounding exhausted.

"Parker, we got another cardiac arrest."

"What?" Audrey said surprised.

"This ones a teacher at the high school," he said as he picked up his coffees and left the shop.

"I'm close if you want me to pick you up," he said with expectation.

"Yeah, I'll be ready in five," she said, quickly hanging up the phone.

Nathan got into his truck and left hurriedly, driving the familiar path to Audrey's.

He pulled up to the _Grey Gull _and gave a sharp push on the horn. He got out of the Bronco with both coffees in hand and and leaned casually against the hood.

He heard a door close and voices travel down to him causing him to groan at the sound of one.

"Chief Wuornos. What, no coffee for me?" Duke said slyly.

"Must have slipped my mind," Nathan replied dryly as he passed Audrey her coffee and jumped into the Bronco.

"Still on for later?" Duke asked Audrey as she got into the Bronco.

"Yeah." Audrey responded quickly as she rubbed her eyes.

Nathan looked at her, seeing the exhaustion written on her face. "Long night?" he asked hoping her answer would expel the image of her and Duke together that had popped in his head.

"Just trying to figure out more about James Cogan. Something just doesn't seem right," she said as her voice trailed off.

Nathan held back a chuckle. He couldn't help but laugh at what he saw as something so obvious. But he knew this was important to Audrey, and he knew he had to tell her. But not now. The perfect moment was coming, he just had to wait.

"Have you found out more about the Guard?" Audrey asked.

"Haven't really been trying," he answered honestly.

"You haven't been trying?" Audrey asked doubtfully, raising her voice just slightly.

"You get a tattoo that you know nothing about, help a prisoner escape, and tell a woman, you _hope_ you can trust, everything, and now you don't want to find out anything?" she finished with condescension.

"Been busy," Nathan returned, not wanting to give away too much.

"Nathan, we have the slowest week in the history of Haven P.D." she countered quickly. "You let eight officers take vacation, including Tommy, and _now_ you're busy?"

"Yep," he answered. "I'll take care of Vince and Dave, they are sure to be there." Cutting off Audrey's inevitable response.

Audrey starred in surprise and annoyance at Nathan, shocked he would cut her off.

"I'll take care of witnesses if you want to check out the scene," he finished as they pulled up to the school.

"Fine," Audrey said as she got out of the Bronco and slammed the door.

Nathan sighed as he got out. He knew it wasn't the best way to handle her questions, but it was better than the truth.

"Nathan," Dave inquired. "Death right outside of the school? What happened?"

"Vince, Dave," Nathan replied with a nod as he passed under the tape. "You can read the report when we're done," he said walking away.

"Hey Stan. What happened?"

"Allison Shafer, 26. She seemed fine by all accounts until she came outside."

"Well, do you have any witnesses for me?" Nathan asked looking at the crowd.

"Yeah. We talked with everybody around, nothing helpful. But we have one woman," he said pointing to a woman clearly stunned. "She tried to save her, she seems really shook up. We couldn't get much out of her."

"I'll talk to her, thanks Stan," Nathan called as he calmly walked towards the woman.

"Hello Miss…" Nathan started as she looked at him apprehensively.

"Fleming," she said nervously. "Sandra Fleming."

"Miss Fleming," he answered gently, "I know you're scared right now, but I could sure use your help right now. Would you be able to answer a few questions for me?"

Sandra nodded faintly with tears in her eyes.

"Did you know the victim?" Nathan asked, pulling out his notebook.

"No," she said weakly, "I've never met her before."

"Okay, what did you see when she came out of the building?"

Sandra closed her eyes as tears fell silently from them. "She came out, look like she couldn't breath. Then she just dropped. I attempted CPR, but I was too late," she finished, remorse filling every word.

"Thank you," Nathan said shaking her hand.

"I'm so sorry," she cried to Nathan.

"Ma'am, you did your best." Nathan reassured her. "I'm going to have an officer take you home okay?" he said as he motioned to an officer.

"Take her home and make sure she's okay," Nathan said quietly as he walked to Audrey and the victim.

"Nothing strange about the body," Lucassi said taking off his gloves.

Nathan looked at Audrey with skepticism written on her face, "What is it Parker?"

Audrey nodded to the victim's arm, "Nathan, look at her arm."

He slowly bent down to examine the body, simultaneously with Audrey and saw a familiar burn.

"Nathan," Audrey said looking up at him with concern.

"I know, Mr. Thornton had the same burn on his arm just a few days ago."

"Nathan, we have a trouble that is causing cardiac arrests," Audrey alleged.

"We can never have a normal case, can we?" Nathan said as he and Audrey walked back to the Bronco.

"Of course not, we're in Haven," Audrey exclaimed picking up her phone.

"Who are you calling?" Nathan asked.

"Duke, I have to cancel our meeting." Audrey responded.

"What were you meeting about?" Nathan inquired.

"We were just going to try and learn more about the Colorado Kid."

"I can handle the case for now," Nathan said. "You need answers. Go get them."

"Nathan, really it's no problem."

"Audrey." Nathan said looking intently at her. "It's fine."

Audrey looked at him and knew there was no fighting him. "Thank you."

Nathan nodded as he got into the Bronco. It didn't matter _who_Audrey was with when she remembered, as long as she remembered. She had to remember.

* * *

"It's 1983. You're on the beach. It's early morning. You're holding the hand of a young boy, not knowing what a handsome and charming man he will grow up to be."

"Duke, that's really not helping." Audrey said, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Sorry. Okay, ignore the wonderful, handsome, amazing boy holding on to you."

"_Really_ Duke!" Audrey said as her eyes popped open. "This is not going to work."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Duke said with a chuckle. "I'll be serious. I'm ready."

Frustrated, Audrey said, "Duke we have been at this for three hours. It's not working."

"Hey, we're gonna get this Audrey," he said seriously.

"When?" Audrey asked, shaking her head.

She had tried _everything_, yet nothing worked. She wanted answers and she couldn't get them.

Audrey put her head in her hands, realizing all this work was pointless, when she heard a light knock on the door and looked up to see Nathan in the doorway.

"Hope I'm not interrupting," Nathan said sardonically, glancing between the pair.

"No, what's up?" Audrey asked rubbing her eyes.

Nathan handed Audrey the file, "Looked into both victims. No connection that I could find."

Audrey quickly looked through the file, "Well they can't just be completely random."

"Hey," Duke waved from his chair. "Sorry to interrupt this cop moment, but we were a little busy here."

"Duke," Audrey warned, not looking up from the file.

"And how's that going, Duke?" Nathan asked, turning to Duke.

"It's going," Duke said blankly.

"It's going nowhere Duke," Audrey said with annoyance.

Concerned, Nathan turned back to Audrey, "Do you think you're looking for the wrong person?"

"Nathan, I think Audrey would know her own past," Duke said confronting Nathan.

Audrey slowly rose, ready at any moment to stop either one of them.

Nathan let out a soft chuckle as he turned back to the door and walked out.

Angrily, Audrey turned on Duke, "Duke, why did you do that?"

"What?" Duke said sarcastically.

But Audrey didn't get the chance to chew Duke out, because the moment she opened her mouth, Nathan walked through the door, carrying a thin file.

"Audrey do you trust me?" Nathan said looking right at her.

"Of course." Audrey replied without hesitation.

"Close your eyes."

Duke moved forward, thoroughly annoyed, "Nathan this is ridiculous,"

"Duke, humor me," Nathan said irritated, with a shrug.

"Duke, it's okay." Audrey said, closing her eyes.

She took a deep breath, trying to clear her mind when she heard Nathan's voice fill the office.

"Audrey, I want you to think about James Cogan. Don't think about what he looks like or what is happening. Think about your feelings."

Audrey tried to focus and get a memory to play in her head, but it was pointless, all she saw was black.

"Audrey, please. Please remember."

Nathan was pleading. Audrey didn't think she could remember for herself, but she could do it for him.

She took one more breath and willed herself to remember.

The darkness melted away as flashes of her past came into view.

Every moment was disjointed, not long, detailed memories, but rather clips of her past, quick and seemingly unimportant.

But each moment brought up new feelings, but not one was the feeling she was looking for.

She opened her eyes, now full of confusion. "I didn't feel it Nathan. I was never in love with him," Audrey said, her apprehension bubbling to the surface.

"It's okay Audrey. We're gonna do it again, with someone else," Nathan reassured her.

"Nathan I think we're done," Duke said, noticing the tears starting to build in Audrey's eyes.

"It's okay, I want to know," Audrey stated resolutely.

"Close your eyes," Nathan soothed.

Darkness filled her sight again as she shut her eyes, ready for answers.

A warm hand softly held hers and she knew Nathan was helping her. All her apprehension went away as his fingers slowly caressed hers, calming her.

"Audrey, think of the name Nathan Wheatley. Remember, just your feelings.

It was like a wave passed over her as memories came flooding back. Bits and pieces from her past that filled her with a million emotions. Happiness as they sat together in the sun, pain as he watched him walk away, clearly hurt, uncontrollable grief as she approached him, knowing he was already gone.

Her eyes slowly opened, her view blurry form the tears pouring from them. A familiar hand was cupping her face, supporting her.

"It's him," she said, her voice cracking. "Nathan, who is he? I couldn't see his face," she asked hurriedly.

Nathan picked up the thin file and placed it gently in front of her. "It's not much, but it's all I could find."

"Nathan Wheatley," he said as she looked through the file. "Born in Haven in 1951, moved to Colorado in 1972 after his father passed. Moved back late in 1982 where he got a job as a Forest Ranger. No death certificate and no picture. That's all I could find," Nathan finished.

"Thank you." Audrey said, placing her hand gently on top of his, knowing the simple touch could express much more than her words.

He lingered a moment before nodding his welcome and leaving her office.

"Well, that was convenient." Duke said as he turned back to Audrey.

"What?" Audrey responded.

"You start remembering James Cogan and now Nathan appears with a file on a man that may be the real Colorado Kid. Yeah, nothing suspicious about that."

"Duke, this is Nathan. I trust him completely," Audrey said defiantly.

Duke shook his head, but Audrey didn't notice. All she could think of was Nathan Wheatley. Who was he? How was James Cogan connected?

But those questions were nothing. The real question Audrey wanted to know was, how could she forget the man she loved so much?


	5. Chapter 4: The Dream

**The Dream**

The images kept playing through her head. Flashes of memories mixed with pain and sorrow. A moment became clear and played like a movie in her head.

"_Please, I know why you did it. I remember," Nathan said, begging her to understand. "We can make it work now. Please, give me another chance."_

_Audrey looked at him, knowing he wanted her. "Okay, we're going to figure this out, together." She said with a warm smile. _

_Apprehension melted as a bright smile broke across Nathan's face as he started walking towards her._

_But in a second everything changed. A shot rang out as the smile slowly faded from his face and his breathing labored, telling him what he couldn't feel._

"_Nathan!" Audrey cried as the blood pooled on his chest._

_Quickly she ran to him as the strength left his body and he slowly collapsed into her arms. _

"_No! Nathan, please," she pleaded, knowing he was leaving her. "No, forever, remember. You promised me _forever_."_

"_I'm sorry," he said with his final breath, stroking her face. His hand slipped down to his side as his eyes stared endlessly to the sky. _

_A piece of her broke and her world was destroyed by one single shot. _

The scene lingered a moment longer before fading into a familiar scene.

_The gravel shifted and broke the deafening silence._

_Her hand gripped tighter around the necklace with each step as her fear and apprehension grew. _

_She took a deep breath and looked upon the scene she never wanted to see again. This time there was no goodbye, no way of letting him know what she felt. He was already gone._

The moment turned into a scene Audrey had lived a thousand times. She had been haunted by this moment for weeks after, and it was coming back now.

"Maybe it's not going to happen today," She said with slight hope as she made her way to Nathan.

But her hope was short lived as she heard the skidding of tires and the sharp breaking of wood.

A gasp left her as she ran toward Nathan who was rising from the ground, splintered wood surrounding him.

"I'm okay," Nathan reassured her, trying to clear the look of worry of her face.

"Nathan…" Audrey said looking down at his side.

"I'm…" He said pulling back his jacket to reveal the larger splinter of wood sticking out of his side.

"_Nathan_," she said, as her eyes grew wide with fear.

"Oh," Nathan groaned as he started falling to the ground.

"No. Alright, okay." Audrey reassured him as she helped lower him to the ground. "Can somebody call 911? We have an officer down!" she screamed trying to contain her pain.

"Paged it in," Nathan said gasping for breath. "Male, older, medium build, I didn't get a plate," he said struggling for air. "This is kinda strange," he finished, looking down at the wound he couldn't feel.

"I'm not gonna let you die, okay," willing him to hold on. "Do you understand me? Stop it, do you understand? I'm gonna fix this," she promised.

"Doesn't hurt," he said looking at her peacefully. "The only thing I feel is you."

"No!" Audrey cried holding him tighter, holding him there. "No! No!" she screamed trying to shake life back into him.

But it was useless. He was gone. It didn't matter if she woke up again, because her pain was never going away.

The scene faded one last time into something completely unfamiliar.

They were in an old, broken down barn. Nathan was standing in front of her; his eyes that had burned with anger were now full of regret and sadness.

Audrey tried to make out the other people with them, but it was useless, the only thing she could see was _him_.

"Goodbye Audrey," Nathan said quietly, knowing it was his last chance to say it.

"No!" she screamed as the gun fired.

The blood streamed down his face as he fell to the ground.

"Nathan!"

Audrey woke, screaming the same words as in her nightmare.

The panic welled up inside of her. She was in her apartment and everything seemed normal. But it couldn't be. Her nightmare was too real, too vivid.

Her concern for Nathan overtook her as she grabbed her phone and hurriedly dialed his number.

An unfamiliar voice greeted Audrey on the other end, only adding to her worry.

"We're sorry, the number you dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again at a later time."

She tried again, only to be answered by the same message.

"No, no!" she cried as she kept trying, receiving the same answer.

Her dread was overwhelming. She grabbed her keys and rushed out of her apartment, still trying his number.

Audrey started her car and pulled out of the parking lot with a skid, matching her panic.

She tried to control herself, but she couldn't. The tears poured down her cheeks as each second of silence confirmed her fears.

Driving for what seemed like hours, she pulled up to Nathan's house. The lights were off and the Bronco was gone.

She ran out of her car, and pounded on his door, his windows, anything to try and get his attention.

But it was pointless. He was gone, just like in her dream, she wouldn't get to say goodbye.

Her desperation took over as she reached for her gun, ready to blow the lock and enter by force.

"Parker, what the hell are you doing?"

Audrey whipped around to see Nathan staring bewildered at her. Without a seconds thought, she ran towards him, throwing herself into his arms.

Her arms wrapped around him, holding him to her, convincing herself that he was real, and he was alive.

Audrey felt his hands run down her arms until he held her hands, pulling her away from him.

"Audrey, what is going on?" he asked with confusion as he saw the tears falling down her face.

"You're freezing," he said pulling off his jacket and wrapping it around her.

Nathan wrapped one arm around her and held her close as he unlocked the door and shepherded her in.

Audrey looked around his home, still feeling waves of relief, leaving her unable to speak.

She had been by Nathan's house before, but she had never actually been inside.

It was simple, but warm. Open and spacious, the only division being the bedroom, which had two large French doors that kept it part of the rest of the home.

Audrey's breath caught as she studied each wall, which contained its own stunning group of photos. The colors in each picture popped and told its own story. Stories of pain, loss, happiness, and love.

Audrey felt warmth engulf her as Nathan wrapped a blanket around her.

"Thanks," she said as they sat down on the couch.

Anxiously, Nathan brought Audrey's chin up to meet his eyes, "Parker, what happened?"

Audrey paused for a moment, looking into his warm blue eyes, reciting the story in her head, knowing how ridiculous it sounded, "Nothing, I'm fine," she lied unconvincingly.

"_Nothing?_" Nathan repeated seeing through her lie. "So nothing is why you showed up at my house at three in the morning, ready to blow the lock off my door?"

"Where were you?" she asked, curious to know and trying to avoid answering his question.

"Domestic disturbance call on Park Lane. What happened with you?" he asked again.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" she probed, side-stepping his question again.

"Cell service is down for half the town," he answered quickly. "I'm done answering questions. What happened?" he asked, punctuating each word.

Audrey looked away, feeling his stare bore into her. She looked down at his side, only to see a small pool of blood on his shirt.

"Nathan you're hurt!" she cried, feeling like she was still trapped in her nightmare, about to experience the pain she had gone through too many times.

"No, you're not avoiding this anymore," he said holding her back, preventing her from helping.

"Nathan, you're bleeding, please let me help."

"I will," he promised, "Once you tell me what happened."

Audrey met his piercing gaze, knowing she was fighting a losing battle. "It's nothing, really, just stupid," she mumbled.

Nathan's eyes spoke of faith and trust, "Audrey you can tell me."

"I jus—I thought you were dead," she rushed. "I was having dreams of you dying over and over again. Each time was different, but they all ended the same, you dying. It was all so real and when I woke up I tried calling, but you didn't answer, and I thought…"

"You thought I had died," he finished for her.

"Yeah," she nodded, feeling even more stupid after hearing her story out loud. "Can I help you now?" she asked pointing to his side.

"First aid kit's under the sink in the bathroom."

Audrey shrugged off the blanket and made her way to the bathroom; glad she was able to escape his stare for a moment.

She grabbed the kit and returned to Nathan, still sitting in the same place, waiting for her.

"Got it," she said sitting next to him.

She slowly lifted up the end of his shirt; peeling it away from his wound.

It looked as if he had been cut by a large piece of glass, not very deep, but the he needed help to stop the bleeding.

Audrey tried to clean off the blood, but his shirt kept sliding back down his side.

"Here," he said impatiently as he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it swiftly over his head.

Audrey paused for a moment, finding herself staring at his bare chest. Though lean, he was well defined–_very_, well defined. They hadn't been this close since before she had been kidnapped. Those feelings may have faded away for Nathan, but they were still just as strong for her.

"Everything okay?" Nathan inquired.

"Yeah," Audrey said clearing her throat.

Audrey carefully worked on the wound "Nathan, I just wanted you to understand how grateful I am for you helping me to remember my life as Lucy." She said, every word filled with gratitude.

"Audrey, you know I will do anything for you, don't you?" he asked looking at her with that familiar intense gaze.

"I know," she said, letting her hand linger on his side.

They sat there for a moment, neither one wanting to move, both trying to find the words to express how they felt.

"Thank you," Nathan said, breaking the silence.

Audrey slowly moved her hand way from his side, "Welcome."

Nathan noticed Audrey still shivering, "You still look cold."

Audrey looked down at her clothes, realizing She only had on a thin tank top and cotton shorts. "My heater's stuck on high and I didn't have time to change before I came over," she hurriedly explained, feeling self-conscience and embarrassed.

"Come on, we'll get you something warm." Nathan said, leading her to the bedroom.

Audrey took a deep breath and followed him, trying hard not to let her thoughts wander.

The bedroom.

Audrey shook her head, but no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts went there anyway and Audrey was too tired to fight them. She was tired of being alone, being without him. She was running out of time and she was wasting it. Now she was done. She wasn't going to fight anymore.

Nathan turned back to her, wrapping one of his flannel shirts gently around her.

"Thank you," Audrey said as she placed a soft kiss on his cheek, letting all inhibitions fly.

Audrey pulled away slowly, her breathing becoming heavier as she felt Nathan's hands gently pull around her waist as the other rose to cup her face. She looked into his eyes, softened, but still filled with intensity. He pulled her closer and Audrey closed her eyes, never had it feel so natural, so right.

Nathan's lips softly brushed her forehead as his hands fell from her body. "Goodnight Audrey," he said as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.


	6. Chapter 5: The Morning

**The Morning**

Sunlight filled the room, warming her skin and flooding her in light. She looked over at Nathan, wondering what it would be like, not being able to feel the simplest things, not even the sun. But there was one thing she knew he could feel. She nestled closer to him, letting the sun's warmth–her warmth–radiate around him. His arms tightened around her as his fingers traced a pattern on her back. She looked up at him, a contented smile on his face.

"Good morning," she said, returning his smile.

"Good morning," he responded, placing a soft kiss on her lips.

Audrey placed her head back on Nathan's strong chest, the feeling of happiness and contentment filling her.

"You know, this is a pretty poor way of avoiding a scandal," she chuckled.

"Scandal can wait till tomorrow," he said, placing another kiss upon her lips. Rising from the bed, "Today, we're having pancakes,"

Audrey caught his arm, pulling him back to bed, "Pancakes would mean getting up," she said as she snuggled back on top of him.

Nathan chuckled and lifted his head to kiss her, passion taking over as they both melted into each other.

Audrey's eyes fluttered open as she sighed contentedly. "At least this dream wasn't bad," she thought to herself.

But that is how it should have gone. Last night should have ended differently. She shouldn't have woken up alone. But maybe it was better this way. She may not have been in love with James Cogan, but there was some kind of love and just because Nathan couldn't find a death certificate doesn't mean Nathan Wheatley didn't die because of her. No, Nathan was safer this way. She had to protect him.

Audrey closed her eyes, trying to fade back into her dream when she heard Nathan's voice faintly and a familiar smell reached her nose.

She walked to the door and peaked through the curtains. Nathan was in the kitchen, his hair was disheveled and he was on the phone. Just the sight of Nathan lit up her face as she opened the door to join him.

"Mrs. Gunn, officially I can't do anything until she has been gone 48 hours," Nathan said to the woman on the phone. "Now if I were going to start an investigation unofficially, I need you to give us exact details on the last time you saw Julie. Go down to the station. Stan will help you with everything. We'll find her." Nathan hung up the phone, pouring Audrey a cup of coffee and placing a plate filled with steaming hot pancakes in front of her.

"Pancakes, _of course_," she chuckled, remembering her dream.

"Best breakfast there is," Nathan said sipping his coffee.

"What was that call all about?" Audrey asked as she took a bite.

"Mrs. Gunn," Nathan said with a sigh, "her daughter Julie didn't return from her break at the coffee shop where she works and didn't come home last night."

"Do we need to go to her house, make sure there's nothing her mom missed?" Audrey asked concerned.

"No, Stan's got it covered," Nathan said, starting on his own, much larger, plate of pancakes. "What we need to do is go to your place and change. I don't think the force would handle your outfit well," he said, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Wait, what day is it?" she asked fearing the answer.

"Tuesday," Nathan said as Audrey groaned. "What's wrong with Tuesday?"

"It's Taco Tuesday," Audrey raised her brows expecting Nathan to understand. "Duke doesn't leave the Gull on _Tuesdays_. Do you know how many snarky comments we're gonna get?"

"I've been dealing with Duke's snarky comments since I was seven," Nathan said nonchalantly, "What are a few more weeks."

Audrey snorted, "I think it will last more than just a few weeks. I'll just take my car and meet you at the station," hoping she could avoid some of the awkward conversation sure to follow with Duke.

"That would work, except your car was towed last night."

"What?! Why did they tow my car!?" Audrey yelled.

Nathan looked up from his pancakes smugly, "Because it's illegal to park on the curb, right next to a fire hydrant," he explained dryly.

Audrey narrowed her eyes at Nathan, knowing he thought this quite funny. "Fine," Audrey said with a smile, "_You_ can deal with Duke."

"Pancakes are good," she smirked, delighting knowing Nathan wasn't so smug anymore.

* * *

Duke stuck his tongue out in concentration as he placed the last touches on his masterpiece. "Beautiful. This should be framed. Don't you agree Nora?" he asked.

"Yeah, beautiful," she responded sarcastically. "Even more beautiful than last week's masterpiece."

"Hey, it's art. You should appreciate it," Duke said admiring his sign. "Hey have you seen Audrey this morning?" Duke asked curiously.

"No. Car's gone though." Nora responded pointing to the near empty parking lot.

"Thanks," he said letting his thoughts wander.

Audrey was one of the most consistent people he had ever met. She was up at 7:30 every day and down to her car at 8:45 like clockwork. But there was no sign of her this morning. He had gone up to her place for some coffee and "girl talk," but she didn't answer. He was getting worried so he was tempted to call Nathan, knowing the storm of uneasiness he would create.

Duke grabbed his phone, ready to dial Nathan's number if Audrey wasn't down in five minutes, when the familiar rumble of Nathan's Bronco thundered into the parking lot, piercing the quiet morning.

Duke prepared himself to explain to Nathan that he had no idea where Audrey was, when he looked at the passenger seat and saw Audrey-looking particularly smug- wearing a shirt that could only be Nathan's.

Duke's initial shock dissolved as he played out all the possible scenes that could have led to this situation.

Nathan and a thinly dressed Audrey got out of the Bronco. Nathan quickly walked over to Audrey, wrapping his jacket around her shoulders.

"I'll be back in five," Audrey said climbing the stairs. "Good luck!" she called back to Nathan, a stoic look of annoyance stuck on his face.

This was too good of an opportunity for Duke to miss.

"Chief Wuornos… How nice of you to visit our fine establishment." Duke said as he gestured around the Gull. "You know, I was getting worried about Audrey. Glad she was safe with you. So, was she there all night?" sarcasm dripping from his inquiry.

"Yep," One word, that was it.

"So, what it a late night?"

"Yep."

"Come on Nathan. We're friends aren't we? You can tell me."

"No."

"No, you can't tell me or no, we aren't friends?"

"Both."

"Wow. They should dedicate a statue to you. Call it, 'Nathan, King of the Monosyllables.' It's really impressive. Come on Nathan, you really can't think of any answers?" Duke pressed, trying to push all the right buttons.

Nathan paused for a moment, seemingly thinking it over. "No."

"That's okay, I'm good at talking," Duke said as Nathan checked his watch.

"So Audrey stays at your place all night, huh? Oh. Oh I see. Wow. Nathan Wuornos! I wouldn't expect this from you. Good job man!" Duke continued as Nathan scoffed.

He was getting to him, "Did she show you that scar on her left thigh? Yeah. Did she tell you the story on that? 'Cause I have been asking for a while now."

Oh yeah, Now he was really getting under Nathan's skin.

"She looked pretty good in that shirt," Duke continued, knowing this would break him. "Course it looks much better coming off. I would know."

But instead of rattling him, Nathan looked smugly at Duke, "Actually, she looks better taking off a nurses uniform. I would know," he said, leaving Duke, for the first time in his life, _speechless_.

"Ready to go?" Audrey asked, bouncing down the stairs.

"Yep," Nathan answered, leaving Duke with his mouth still open.

* * *

"Wow, I've got to give it to you, I didn't think you could do it," Audrey said as Nathan pulled away from the _Grey Gull_ and a stunned Duke.

"I don't think I have ever seen Duke speechless before. How did you do it?" she asked.

"Oh, I have my ways," Nathan said as they made their way to the station.

"Thank you for everything." Audrey said to Nathan. "Really, thank you." She repeated, trying to express her gratitude.

"I told you, I will do anything for you," Nathan said seriously.

They sat together in a comfortable silence as they drove, the only sound coming from the radio, playing softly.

A familiar song began to play and Audrey couldn't help but groan. Bad luck seemed to follow her with this song.

"_Love, love will keep us together_," the radio sang.

"I hate this song!" Audrey said, making Nathan chuckle.

Nathan listened to the song, thinking back to Lucy.

"_I hate this song." Lucy said._

"_How can you hate this song?" Nathan asked. "It is a great song. Cheesy maybe, but still great."_

"_I hate this song because it always proceeds horrible things happening to me," she said defiantly. "It played right before my car broke down and I was almost eaten by a wolf."_

"Almost_," Nathan said, "Plus, you did meet me. Look at the positive." _

_Nathan looked at Lucy, a sweet smile on her face. "Definitely a positive."_

Nathan heard a quiet voice as he snapped out of his thoughts.

Audrey's voice was filling the truck as she sang along to the music.

With her eyes shut and one hand placed out in front of her, she sang, "_Just stop, cause I really love you._"

Nathan couldn't stop himself. "You hate this song, huh?" the sound of his voice stopping Audrey in her place. "That's why you know all the words and have dance moves for it?"

Audrey stared at him, trying to come up with a good answer, but finding none.

They both stared at each other for a second more, before they both cracked up.

Neither one of them ever laughed like that, but neither one could stop.

Both would have continued, but the screech of tires stopped them. Nathan's arm swung out, holding Audrey's body close to the seat as the car's headlights came closer to them. Nathan swerved and slammed on his breaks. The shattering sound of glass filling their ears.


	7. Chapter 6: The Trouble

**The Trouble**

Audrey gasped for air, every breath casing her pain. She didn't know what happened. One moment they were fine, but now?

"Audrey! Audrey are you okay?" Nathan's voice breaking the eerie silence.

"I'm fine," Audrey reassured Nathan as his hands skimmed her, verifying her answer.

She looked over, ready to open the door, only to find it pinned against a building.

Nathan hurried and opened his door and jumped out, extending his arms for Audrey.

As she climbed out, she looked down at Nathan's arm. It was bloody and already bruised.

"Nathan, your arm," Audrey exclaimed, knowing it was her fault. He had placed his arm out to keep her safe and now he was hurt. "I'm… I'm so sorry Nathan."

"It's fine," Nathan said shrugging it off. "Don't feel it. You said you were okay," Nathan said as he brushed the blood from her check.

"It's not bad." Audrey said, trying to ignore the pain that accompanied each breath.

"Call Duke, we need to get to the station and he's the closest," Nathan said, picking up his walkie. "Laverne, I need you to put out a BOLO for me. Gold Chevy sedan, plates 7687 PG. I'm gonna need a name to go with it."

"What are we picking them up on Doll?" Laverne asked.

"I don't know, attempted vehicular manslaughter. And call for a tow." Nathan finished looking at his multiple flat tires.

Audrey walked around the truck, seeing the sheer luck that had graced them. The Bronco was parked inches away from a building. Nathan had been able to maneuver just enough to avoid the building, the only damage being the flat tires and broken windows from the rocks they had barreled through. She picked up her phone and quickly dialed Duke's number.

"Audrey?"

"Duke, I need you to come pick us up and take us down to the station," Audrey demanded.

"Okay, but answer me this: What the hell was Nathan talking about with his comment—"

"Now's not the time," Audrey cut him off. "We just got run off the road so I think it can wait. If you don't want to get us, fine. I'll call a patrol car."

"What?!" Duke exclaimed. "Where are you? I'm on my way."

"Just make your way to the station, we're kinda hard to miss," Audrey said, hanging up the phone.

"Well, you were right about one thing," Nathan said. "That song really _is_bad luck."

* * *

"Done," Audrey said, placing the last bandage on Nathan's arm.

"We should have that plate by now," Nathan said, pacing the room.

"They're coming Nathan," Audrey said, reassuring him.

"Can someone tell me why I'm still here?" Duke asked from the corner of the room.

"We have a person who tried to kill Nathan and me this morning. Why do you think you're here?"

"Right," Duke nodded as Stan entered the room.

"We got a hit on those plates Chief," Stan said, holding a paper in his hands. "Registered to one Sandra Fleming."

"What?" Nathan furrowed his brow, confused.

"Sandra Fleming," Stan repeated. "36, lives at 221 Boardmen Street. Resident Nurse at the Cottonwood Nursing Home."

"I got her statement at the scene of the last murder." Nathan said to Audrey. "She was there."

"Cottonwood Nursing Home. Nathan I've been scouring the lives of the two victims trying to connect them. Cottonwood Nursing Home." She repeated, pulling out the files of the victims. "First victim, Craig Thornton, visited his aunt at Cottonwood, day later he was dead. Second victim, Allison Shafer, volunteered there the day before she died."

"What did these people do that pissed this Fleming chick off enough to kill them?" Duke asked.

"She was really upset at the scene. I don't even think she knew what she was doing to these people."

"We've got to pick her up Nathan, before she hurts anyone else." Audrey said, putting on her jacket. "Duke, follow us. We might need some extra help."

Nathan grabbed his stuff and headed to the newly repaired Bronco, oblivious to the small burn developing on his hand.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Audrey asked as Nathan's breathing labored.

"Fine, Parker." Nathan said.

"Nathan, you're pale, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine Parker."

Audrey let it go, keeping him in the corner of her eye as they drove closer to Sandra's house.

Nathan's breathing became heavier as they approached the house, his skin getting paler, and Audrey's concern grew.

"Nathan, something's wrong," Audrey said, reaching out her hand to hold his arm. It was freezing cold.

"It's okay Audrey," Nathan said, getting out of the truck and walking toward the house, Audrey following quickly.

But it wasn't long before Nathan's strong façade fell and all his strength left him.

"Nathan!" Audrey screamed as he toppled to the ground.

Audrey ran to him and held him tight. She had lived through this too many times, it couldn't happen again, not again.

"Audrey, what happened?" Duke asked as he knelt down by her side.

But Audrey didn't hear him. She was stroking Nathan's face, hoping her touch would be enough to keep him there. Her tears fell upon his face as his breathing became more labored. Audrey grabbed his hand, keeping him close, when she saw the one thing that explained everything; a burn on Nathan's hand. The same burns on the two trouble victims.

Nathan's breathing stopped and his body went limp.

"No. No!" Audrey yelled as she started compressions on his chest. She wasn't letting him go. Not like this, not now.

She tried to remember the correct number of compressions, but it was no use. She couldn't concentrate, not when she could lose Nathan again.

She stopped the compressions, and placed her lips upon his, trying to breath life back into him. Nothing.

"Please, I can't lose you again." Audrey cried as she held him.

A soft hand touched her shoulder, moving her away from Nathan.

"No. I'm not leaving him!" Audrey screamed fighting Duke.

"Audrey, if I try and find this troubled person, I will either kill them, or they will kill me," Duke said, holding Audrey. "You can help her. Find her, she may be able to help Nathan. I will take over. He's gonna be okay," Duke reassured her.

Audrey hesitated. She knew Duke was right, but leaving Nathan was tearing her apart.

"_Go!_" Duke insisted as he started compressions.

Audrey made her way to the house, forgetting laws, knowing she would do anything to bring Nathan back.

"Sandra! Haven P.D!" Audrey yelled at the door. She didn't wait for a response before she swung the door open, her weapon drawn.

"Don't come any closer!" Sandra warned from the corner of the room. She was curled up in the corner, her face stained with tears. "Please, I don't want to hurt you, too."

"You won't hurt me, I promise," Audrey told her, trying to become calm.

"I hurt everyone I touch. Please, I can't hurt someone else," She cried as Audrey made her way closer.

"The troubles don't affect me, Sandra. I need your help," Audrey pleaded. "My partner, you touched him at Allison Shafer's crime scene. He's sick, you need to help him."

"I can't," she said. "I didn't want to hurt him, but I had no choice. They were going to hurt my family. He has to die."

"If you save him, I can help you." Audrey said, her worry bubbling to the surface. "But if you choose to let him die, I will not be responsible for what happens to you," she warned, the desperation evident in her voice.

"I can't, I'm so sorry!" Sandra said, her pain bleeding through.

"Please. Please!" Audrey cried. "I can't lose him."

Sandra's eyes searched Audrey's face, seeing the pain and love. "How long has he been out?" she asked, walking shakily towards the door.

"About two minutes," Audrey said rushing her outside.

Sandra walked outside and placed her hands gently on Nathan. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for causing you pain," she said, looking at Audrey. She backed away from Nathan, careful not to touch anyone.

But nothing was happening. Nathan was still and he wasn't breathing. Audrey tried to keep calm, but small tears were still escaping her eyes. She lowered herself close to him, holding him one last time.

Suddenly his eyes opened and he drew a breath, feeling only Audrey's touch. "Parker, what just happened?" he asked as Audrey's face lit up.

"You're okay!" she exclaimed with a smile.

"I'm lying on the ground, and I'm pretty sure I was dead for a minute, but yeah, I'm okay."

Duke walked over helping Nathan to his feet, "Don't do that again."

"No promises," Nathan responded quietly as Audrey rose with them.

Nathan brushed off his pants and looked toward the house, "Did we find Sandra?"

"She's over there," Audrey said motioning to the porch, where Sandra was sitting with her head in her hands. "Something doesn't add up Nathan. She said that she had to do it. She had to kill you. She said that someone was blackmailing her to kill you."

"Let's talk to her. If we can find out who was blackmailing her, we can get her some help," Nathan said as they made their way to Sandra.

"Sandra, it's Officer Parker. We are going to help you, you just have to tell us who made you do this."

Sandra slowly raised her head, fear etched upon her face. "I don't know. At first it was a man, average height, African-American, he had a badge, always wore this hat, one of those from the forties, I thought he was going to help me."

Audrey looked at Nathan, one person coming to her mind with that description; Tommy.

"The last person was a woman, but she remembered everything that I had told the other guy. Every word. She was a younger woman, brown, shoulder length hair. The weird thing was this scar; they both had it on their left arm. It looked like two burns running parallel on their arms. It was the exact same scar with both, it just didn't make sense."

"Have you seen the woman before? Anywhere around town?" Nathan asked, knowing the answer he would receive.

"Yeah, I've seen her in the coffee shop, I think she works there."

"Do you remember her name?"

Sandra thought for a moment, going through all the times she saw her. "Julie. I think it was Julie."

"Thank you, Sandra. I know some people, they can help you." Nathan said.

Audrey helped Sandra to her feet and walked her over to the Bronco. Nathan went to the driver's side, but was stopped by Audrey's voice.

"Nathan, wait."

"What's up Parker?"

"Just…don't do that again okay?" Audrey said, holding back the majority of her true feelings.

Nathan searched her face, seeing the pain she was trying to hide.

"I'm sorry, Parker," he said, holding onto her hand, trying to get her to understand.

He knew he couldn't make that promise, he already knew how his story was going to end.


	8. Chapter 7: The Promise

**The Promise**

Papers crashed to the ground as Nathan hurriedly searched for the file he needed, pushing all the others off his desk. He was tired of being so close and having the answers he needed slip through his fingers. Finally he found what he was looking for, opening the file and seeing the familiar tattoo that he shared with the killer.

There was only one person who could answer his questions about the man, and he was determined to get them.

The soft chime of the bell rang through the nearly empty restaurant as Nathan stormed in with the file in his hands. He walked purposefully to Jordan, ready to do anything for answers.

"Chief." Jordan greeted him sarcastically. "It's been a while. Been too busy to even answer your phone now? Must be a pretty crazy week."

"I need to know everything you know about this man." Nathan demanded, pulling out the security camera photo.

"Sorry Nathan, I'm working." She said walking away with a glance at the picture. "You want to talk to me, what till my break."

"I don't have time for that Jordan! I need to know now." He pleaded.

"You don't have time for _me_ you mean." Jordan snarled turning back to him. "I thought that something could have been wrong with you considering the fact that you weren't answering my calls. You wanted in with the Guard and I was standing up for you. Then you ignore your responsibilities? You want to have answers from me? You need to earn it." She finished, walking away.

Nathan knew each moment he spent arguing could cost him everything he had found out. "Jordan, I know you're mad and I get that, but right now I have a serial killer after me and I would really like to know who they are before they kill me."

Jordan froze at his words. "Nathan what is going on?"

"I don't have time to explain." He said, dismissing her question. "Please, look at the picture, I just need to know."

Jordan studied his face, searching for the truth in his eyes. She slowly looked down at the picture, her eyes widening as a gasp escaped her mouth. "That's not possible."

"What? Who is this?"

"Grady. Grady Moore. But that's not possible Nathan. Nobody has seen nor heard from Grady in weeks."

"You sure?" Nathan questioned, needing to have the absolute truth.

"I gave him that watch, Nathan." She said, pointing to the picture. "I'm sure."

Nathan tried to understand how any of this was connected. Tommy, Julie; how were any of these three connected?

"Nathan, wait. This scar, I've never seen this on Grady." Jordan said confused.

Nathan grabbed the picture seeing the two parallel lines on Grady's left arm, just like Sandra had described with Tommy and Julie. Nathan starred at the picture for a moment longer before the answers he was seeking came rushing back to him.

"_Hi, Nathan!" a young girl waved._

"_Lisa, you look nice." Nathan complimented making his way down the street. _

"_Thought you would like it." She said, moving her now long brown hair away from her face. _

_Nathan looked down at her arm, seeing two relatively fresh burns running parallel to each other. "What happened there? Are you okay?" _

_Lisa gritted her teeth and pulled her sweater tightly over her arm. "Had a run in with a stove. No biggy. Where are you going?' She asked walking right at Nathan's heels. _

"_Going to see Lucy, helping her with a few things today."_

_Lisa stopped dead in her tracks at the mention of Lucy. "Lucy?" She repeated, each word caked with distain. "Why are you going with _her_?" _

"_Got some work to do Lisa. Gotta go now kid." He smiled, ruffling her hair. He walked away, with Lisa standing still, a look of anger etched upon her face. _

"Nathan what is going on?" Jordan asked, a look of worry on her face.

"I remember. I have to go, I'm sorry." He said, rushing out of the diner, knowing exactly how to finish this.

* * *

The calm waves crashed against the hull of the boat as Nathan rushed onto the vessel. "Duke!" he called. "Duke, where are you!"

Duke popped his head out of the door and looked confused at the appearance of Nathan. "Nathan. Everything okay?"

"Lisa Johnson, you were friends with her when we were kids." Nathan hurried, trying to get the answers he needed.

"Yes we were. Why does this matter exactly?" he questioned seeing the panic on Nathan's face.

"Where did she live?"

"What?"

"Where did she live, Duke?!"

"This old house on Elm. But nobody's lived there for years."

Nathan picked up a long, thin container just outside of the boat. "Duke you have to promise me something."

"Nathan, what is going on?" he asked, his worry growing.

"Promise me you will keep Audrey safe. No matter what happens, promise me you will keep her safe."

"Nathan-"

"Promise me Duke!" Nathan hollered, pleading with him.

"I promise."

"Take this, and remember, keep her safe." Nathan repeated handing Duke the container and walking away.

* * *

"Claire, I did not want you to come in to analyze me, I asked you here to help me out," Audrey sighed.

"Sorry." Claire apologized unconvincingly.

"No you're not Claire."

"Okay I'm not," she said with a smile. "So anything new with you and Nathan?"

Audrey rolled her eyes, dreading the answer she would have to give. "I think I would rather have you analyze me."

"Oh, come on Audrey," she smiled, twisting Lucy's necklace between her fingers.

Audrey thought about her answer while starring, mesmerized at her necklace. One second was all it took to remember the past. She quickly snatched the necklace out of Claire's hands and in one swift move opened it to reveal the two aged photographs inside. Audrey gasped at the face starring back at her in the pictures, Nathan's kind face, unchanged by time in photos from the past.

"Audrey, what's wrong?" Claire asked seeing the startling change in Audrey.

"Nathan," was all Audrey said before rushing out of her office, searching the station for any sign on him. "Stan where is Nathan?" Audrey asked, Claire right behind her.

"Left about a half hour ago." Stan said, ignorant to Audrey's panic.

Audrey rushed out of the station and jumped into her car.

"Audrey, where are you going?" Claire asked, joining her.

"Nathan's house, we can start there. See if I can find anything."

"What is going on? You grabbed that necklace like it was a hot potato and then you start running around looking for Nathan. _What happened?_"

Audrey tossed the locket gently over to Claire as she sped towards Nathan's house.

Claire silently studied the pictures, trying to understand what they meant. They drove in silence, neither one knowing what to say.

Audrey skidded to a stop in front of Nathan's home, jumping out and rushed in. She could hardly believe that just that morning she had woken up in his warm bed. "Nathan has files in here somewhere. Maybe they will give us some answers," she said looking through his shelves.

"What are we even looking for? None of this makes any sense." Claire sighed.

Audrey ignored Claire as she browsed through his cupboards. Finally she found a cabinet filled with files and an old, battered notebook.

"I think I remember this." Audrey confessed to Claire caressing the familiar cover.

She sat down softly on the couch, opening each page gently. Her own writing popped from each page, each entry containing Nathan's name. She flipped through faster as more photos filled the pages (I just changed this to sound better), going back even further than she had thought she could remember. But each picture filled the hole in her memories, making each one clearer and each sensation painfully brought back.

She turned to a page, which filled her with pain, seeing her own hurried writing on the tear-stained page. She read each word wishing she could stop, but knowing she never could.

"_Nathan,_

_I am so sorry for the pain I've caused you. I did this. If I had just stopped trying to save you, I would have. It's my fault you are gone, just like before. Please don't let me push you away. I don't know if I could (made past tense. You had can here) bear losing you again._

_With all my love, _

_Lucy."_

Audrey remembered the pain she felt when writing the note. She realized that it was too late again. She had made the same mistake and now she was going to lose him again. Her eyes filled with pain as she saw a new page, tucked away into the back of the notebook. It was unfamiliar, but the writing on it was not.

_Audrey,_

_I know that you blame yourself for everything. Don't. I know that dying is just apart of my life. We didn't work this time, but that doesn't mean that we can't make it work in another 27 years. We just have to remember. _

_Love,_

_Nathan_

Audrey's breathing labored as she read and reread his words trying to understand how Nathan could accept his fate.

Audrey's phone rang, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Audrey there is something wrong." Duke sounded concerned on the other end.

"What is it Duke?" Audrey heart pounded.

"Nathan just came over, and something is wrong, I just don't know what."

Audrey rose quickly, fearing what answer she would receive. "Duke what happened?"

"He asked for an old address of some girl I knew when I was a kid."

"Who's address, Duke?!" Audrey asked.

"Lisa Johnson."

The name triggered a memory in Audrey as she remembered Lisa, standing over Nathan's lifeless body, anger shining in her eyes at Lucy, the two scars shining marring her left arm.

"Duke give me the address now!" She demanded.

* * *

Nathan drew his gun as he approached the barn. He had searched the house. The only thing he found was dust and rats. He pushed the door open slowly searching for any sign of Lisa, but he saw nothing.

"Hello Nathan." A familiar voice greeted him.

"Audrey?" he asked, turning to see her familiar face beaming back at him. He walked closer to her wondering why she was there. But the closer he got, the more he recognized the differences in her features. Her face was similar, but _pieced_ together.

"Hello Lisa."

"Wow quick learner!" Lisa said with a smile. "I thought that would take ten minutes at least. Not bad, babe."

Nathan raised his gun, aiming directly at her. "Put your hands in the air or I _will_ shoot."

Lisa walked closer, her body close to the barrel of the gun. "Oh, I would like to see you try."

Nathan raised the gun, ready to knock her out. But with one swift move, Lisa held his arm and leveled him to the ground, knocking him out.

* * *

Audrey pulled up to the home, seeing the barn door ajar. She wasn't going to let this happen again. She wasn't going to watch him die. She grabbed her gun from her holster and rushed into the barn.

Duke watched as Audrey entered the barn and followed silently, grabbing the thin package Nathan had given him, the promise he made echoing in his mind.


	9. Chapter 8: The Truth

**The Truth**

Audrey's boots crunched upon the ground as she cocked her gun and slowly entered the barn. The broken beams and abandoned stalls were… _familiar_. Audrey froze, knowing how this scene would play, recalling her nightmare.

"Hey Parker."

Audrey whipped around to discover the strangest scene she had ever witnessed. Nathan was standing in front of her, his fingers locked behind his head, a deep cut just about his eye, a gun to his head. But the thing that really shook her up was who was holding the gun. It was like looking into a mirror at a funhouse. She was looking at herself but… _wrong_.

"I'm going to need you to put your gun down Officer Parker," she heard her twin self say.

Audrey eased her finger off the trigger and slowly lowered herself to kneeled the ground, still wrapping her mind around the situation.

"Went by your house," Audrey mused to Nathan, trying to communicate her understanding as she started to rise, "Found your note."

"Both guns Audrey," her double said, the malice growing in her eyes.

Nathan watched her place her second gun to the ground as he considered the weight of her words. "So you're good with it then? You understand?"

Audrey's eyes shown with anger as she snapped up straight. "Absolutely not."

"Well, I think it's a little late for that… considering the situation." Nathan said, looking up at the gun being pushed his temple.

Audrey's double pressed the gun harder against Nathan, knowing he wouldn't feel it, but reveling in the fear she produced in Audrey.

"I think that's enough talking. I was smart enough to fool the two of you. Do you really think I'm so stupid I wouldn't know code when I hear it?"

"You're right." Audrey agreed, trying to distract her for a moment, even a second, so that Nathan could escape. "I didn't even realize the connection until I read Nathan's notes. You had me fooled the whole time, Lisa."

Lisa's eyes ignited with fury at the mention of her name, and the calm façade she held collapsed to show the madness inside.

"I am not Lisa Johnson anymore. Lisa Johnson was a nobody." She spat in a single breath. "Lisa was boring, ugly, _worthless_. But I'm not, not anymore. I'm Audrey Parker now." She finished with a crazed smile.

"That's why you killed those people - all those innocent people - just to be me?"

"Innocent!" Lisa laughed. "Nobody's innocent, Audrey. Don't worry, it was very quick and painless. Well, for most of them anyway," she said with a proud grin.

"And Tommy, Julie, Grady?" Nathan said angrily. "What about _them_?"

"Collateral damage," she shrugged. "I had to get your attention, so Grady was an obvious choice. Tommy, well, I did need to catch your attention, but I didn't need you catching me. I had to give you a little bit of a chase. And Julie? I just needed an easier switch into Audrey and she was available," she said nonchalantly.

"Wow, you are pathetic," Nathan remarked, shaking his head. "Next time you want a man's attention, flirt, ask him out to dinner. Killing people for him is a pretty big turn off."

Lisa's face contorted with anger. "Pathetic?! I did this for you!" she screamed as her features bubbled and her eyes glistened, full of pain. Her screams pierced the quiet of the barn as she writhed, leaving only a soft hand on Nathan's shoulder.

Audrey knew this was Nathan's chance to escape, the moment she had been trying to get for him.

But Nathan stood still, not moving an inch, his eyes fixed on Audrey, filled with remorse.

The barn went silent again as Lisa's screams stopped and she raised the gun back to Nathan's head, gasping for air.

"You're weakening," Nathan stated with a smile.

"Shifting from a live person is a little easier than a Frankenstein, Nathan," she scolded. "Don't worry, everything will work out," she reassured him, softly caressing his face.

Audrey flushed with anger at her touch, wanting nothing more than to forcefully remove her hand from Nathan.

"You kidnapped me, you had me for hours, why didn't you just kill me then? Were you too weak?"

"Kill you?" Lisa said confused. "I could never kill you Audrey. I could never hurt Nathan like that," she confessed, sincerity covering her face you can word this better.

"So instead, you figured you would just have a troubled woman kill me with her touch, and when that was taking too long you had her run me off the road and almost into a building," Nathan said sardonically. "Very smart, no craziness there."

"I wasn't going to kill you. I had a plan. Do you really think Sandra is the only troubled person I can blackmail? I just needed you to get interested again. Killing you did the trick."

Nathan rolled his eyes and turned his head to look at Lisa, "You are batshit crazy."

"I did this for you!" Lisa screamed.

Audrey eyed her guns lying just inches away, knowing the situation was escalating and would explode if Nathan continued.

"I waited for 27 years!" Lisa continued, her voice becoming increasingly manic. "I was stuck in a worthless body, waiting for you to remember. And for what? For you to fall for her again?!" She screamed, motioning to Audrey. "I never forgot you like she did. I remembered because I loved you more!"

"Clearly the love didn't have to go both ways to remember." Nathan pushed, his voice rising. "You were forgetful, a nobody."

"Nathan," Audrey warned, seeing the blood rush into Lisa's face.

But Nathan continued, ignoring her warning. "You're still a nobody, you have to become someone else to get another person to even notice you."

"Take it back!" Lisa demanded, pointing the gun at Audrey. "Take it back or I swear, I will kill her."

Audrey's heart was pounding. She wasn't afraid of dying, but there was an anger in Nathan's eyes that told her he would die a hundred times over before she did.

"No you won't," he challenged Lisa. "You kill her, you never get another chance. You know I only come back because she does."

Lisa kept the gun on Audrey for a moment longer before turning the gun back on Nathan. "You're right. Killing her would be a waste. But you? Well, I waited 27 years, I can wait 27 more."

The click of the hammer echoed through the barn. Audrey could feel her chest tighten in terror. She knew she would lose him again. She tried to save him, but it was pointless, it was fate.

Nathan's eyes that had burned with anger were now full of regret and sadness.

"Goodbye Audrey." He whispered, knowing it was his last chance to say it.

"No!" Audrey screamed as the echo of the shot rang in her ears.


	10. Chapter 9: The End

**The End**

Audrey's eyes swam with tears as she starred at Nathan's blood-covered body. She felt frozen, like she would never be able to move again. But in spite of this, she felt herself moving toward Nathan, unable to stop.

She dropped down next to him, looking at his blood stained face and holding his hand, holding on to him one last time. Her tears were flowing freely as the sound of footsteps approached her. Audrey felt a familiar hand on her shoulder and turned to find Duke, one hand on her, with his the other hand clasped around a hunting rifle.

Without a word, Audrey looked at Lisa, her body just above Nathan's, a gunshot wound to the heart, her hand still holding the gun, the hammer still depressed cocked.

"You… you did this?" Audrey gasped gaped at Duke.

"Audrey, please let me explain," Duke begged, bending closer to Audrey.

"You killed him!" She screamed, shoving him to the ground. "How could you do this?! What if I can't save him now?!"

"Well then, it's a good thing he's a better shot then I gave him credit for," a gruff voice said from the floor.

Audrey beamed down at Nathan, a weak smile upon his face.

Her relief consumed her as she brought her lips passionately to Nathan's, letting her love, happiness, and relief radiate into her kiss. Nathan responded in kind, his hands wrapping around her, pulling her into him.

"This would be a lot more romantic if there wasn't a dead lunatic next to you and if Nathan wasn't bleeding on your shirt," Duke said matter-of-factly. "Don't worry ambulance is on its way. Probably better if you continued this your fun after they fix all of _this_," he suggested, moving his hands over the scene.

Nathan slowly pulled away from Audrey, wiping away the tears that were still falling onto her cheeks. "He's right, it's probably better if we wait."

The sound of the sirens grew louder as the ambulance (don't you think police should come to the scene as well? approached the barn.

"We have time," Audrey smiled, her hands still entwined with Nathan's.

The wind softly blew Audrey's hair as she breathed in a calming breath of fresh air.

"What a way to end the day." Duke joked as he joined Audrey.

Audrey turned to face him, hoping for answers to all her questions. "Well, did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"You followed us in there with a rifle that Nathan keeps saying he would like returned, and you saved us. Why?"

Duke smiled warmly at Audrey, "Made a promise to an old friend. Promised to keep you safe. Knew you wouldn't really be safe without him."

Audrey smiled at him, gratitude welling inside her. "Thank you."

"What now?" Duke questioned, a look of concern on his face. "You only have weeks until the meteor shower, I really don't want to be around him if he loses you."

"I wouldn't let that happen," Audrey assured him. "I kept making the same mistake, pushing Nathan away. I won't make that mistake again. I won't leave him now." She promised, turning to the ambulance where Nathan was sitting. She nodded her thanks to Duke and walked toward Nathan.

"All done here, Nathan. Might be good if you came to the hospital for observation, just in case," the EMT suggested.

"I'm good," Nathan said, rising quickly from his seat.

Audrey chuckled at the worried look on the EMT's face with Nathan's quick departure. "I got him."

"I'm fine Audrey, really." Nathan assured her.

"I don't know." Audrey said slyly. "I really think you might need some overnight observation Nathan. I have some previous nursing experience and I might be able to help."

"Audrey, I'm fine. I don't need help," Nathan repeated, not understanding her advice.

"I don't think so Nathan," Audrey pushed, closing the distance between them, "I think you might need some bed rest."

"Audrey, I appreciate your concern, but I really feel fine." Nathan said, ignorant to her actions suggestions.

"Oh gosh! You are so oblivious sometimes…" she sighed, bringing herself to her toes and whispering her intentions blatantly into his ear.

Nathan's eyes widened, slowly understanding as Audrey lowered herself to face him.

"Right. Well, I may need some help changing (changing what?) tonight if you want to come over," Nathan suggested.

"Good idea," Audrey laughed, making her way to the truck.

"You know this was a wild night, guys," Duke called from behind them. "We really should go out for a drink or something, all together. It will be fun!"

Audrey continued to the truck without missing a beat as she called back to Duke, "If you follow us, I swear, I will find a reason to discharge my weapon at you."

Nathan opened the door for Audrey as she slid into the passenger seat with a smile. It had taken them hundreds of years, but finally it was right. They were together. And nothing was going to tear them apart now.

* * *

**AN: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. They make my day! I am thinking about writing kind of a spinoff of this fic. It would be two stories, one Nathan/Sarah and one Nathan/Lucy sprouting off of the idea of Nathan being there every 27 years. Let me know if this sounds good and any ideas you would like to contribute.**


End file.
